


Don't Worry

by evieeden



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Bucky Barnes's Metal Arm, Domestic Avengers, Established Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers, M/M, Minor Jane Foster/Thor, Not Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Compliant, Panic Attacks, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Protective Steve Rogers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-21
Updated: 2016-12-21
Packaged: 2018-09-10 21:51:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8940817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/evieeden/pseuds/evieeden
Summary: Steve gains some unexpected allies when Bucky has a panic attack one day.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I'm going to say it now: I don't think I'm going to get all 25 fics out by Christmas, but I'm now aiming for the end of December which I think is do-able. With that in mind, happy 10th/21st December, lol.
> 
> This advent fic is another Steve/Bucky number. Thank you so much for continuing to read these fics, I really appreciate it and I hope you enjoy reading this one.

“Captain Rogers,” JARVIS’s voice came over the speakers hidden in his apartment. “Mr Stark is requesting your presence down in the labs. Immediately please.”

“What?”

Steve dropped the knife he was currently buttering some toast with and ran for the door at the sense of urgency in the AI’s tone. The elevator dinged open just as Steve grabbed his shield and he nearly dented the side of the lift shaft as he crashed in. JARVIS wasted no time in whisking the elevator down to the floor where the main labs were located, although it felt like it was too long to him.

He could only imagine all the things that could have gone wrong in that time. Bucky had left for Tony’s workshop this morning to get the latest in a long set of improvements integrated into his metal arm. Steve would have accompanied him down there as he usually did, given how shaky the other man could be when confronted with a lab chair and a technician, but Bucky was working on becoming more independent – when he had first arrived he had treated Steve more like a handler than his best friend - and had reassured Steve that he would be fine going down by himself. He liked Tony anyway, said he reminded him of Howard, and was happy to let the engineer chatter away at him while he worked.

The elevator door slid open and he crashed out.

“JARVIS?” He questioned as he ran along to where the entrance to the three main labs were, separated only by a series of sliding glass doors.

“Doctor Foster’s laboratory, please Captain,” the AI notified him.

Foster’s lab?

Steve was confused.

What would be going down in the astrophysicist’s lab? Especially when a moment ago JARVIS had said the problem would be in Tony’s.

Still he followed the corridor round until he came to the entrance and nearly plowed into both Tony and Thor who were stood on guard in the doorway. Tony had a repulsor gauntlet on his hand and Thor was stood to attention.

Steve briefly considered charging through the pair, but managed to slow his speed without any more collisions.

“What is it?” he gasped. “What’s going on? Is Bucky okay?”

Tony jumped at the sound of his voice while Thor merely turned his head in acknowledgement, keeping his eyes on the scene in Foster’s lab.

“He’s fine, Pops. Just having a senior moment.”

Steve frowned. “What do you mean? What happened?” he repeated. “Where is he?”

“With my Jane,” Thor finally spoke. “And the Lady Darcy.”

Steve pushed past Tony to peer in through the door. At the far end of the laboratory, next to the machine that Doctor Foster had explained would focus the energy from the Bifrost, was Bucky, huddled and shaking on the floor. His knees were drawn up to his chest and his head was lowered so that his still-long hair shielded his face from view. His metal arm was clicking up and now, one panel at a time as he sat that, a clear sign that the framework was reacting to his emotional distress.

Steve’s heart broke all over again.

To his surprise though, he saw what Thor meant.

Sat on either side of Bucky, each with an arm around his back and a hand on his arms were Jane and Darcy. Their heads bowed along with Bucky’s, Steve could barely work out the quiet murmuring from the two women as they soothed Bucky’s nervous state.

It was the first time Steve had ever seen Bucky welcome physical contact from anyone other than himself and it threw him speechless.

Behind him, there was a clanking sound as Tony disabled the gauntlet onto a workbench. Steve spun around, his eyes still frantic, and stared at the other man.

“What happened?”

Tony shrugged, his eyes darting over to the odd trio in the corner and then back to Steve. “Nothing much. We were working on his arm, talking through the new specs I was adding, when he went quiet. Wasn’t anything new; it’s not the first time he’s blanked out while I’ve been working.”

Steve nodded at that. He’d been there for the first lot of sessions that Bucky had had with Tony and seen the way his friend had sunk into his own thoughts when the work began. Everyone he had spoken to had said that it was normal, that Bucky was just mentally removing himself from a situation where he had previously experienced a great deal of pain.

“Then he just lashed out, sent me flying halfway across the room, and then bolted.” Tony seemed remarkably unconcerned by this turn of events. “I guess he had a flashback to the good, old Hydra days and wanted to get out of the lab as soon as possible before we wiped him.”

Steve’s heart sank. They had been making such good progress and every time Bucky had a flashback he retreated back into himself for a few days. It didn’t surprise him that it was a visit to the lab that had provoked the memory though, especially given how often Hydra reported they had worked on manipulating him in one and how often he visited Tony for tune ups to improve the hardware in his arm.

“So how did he end up in Foster’s lab? I would have thought he’d have hit the stairs to escape.”

Tony grimaced in sympathy. “Panic, I think. He took a wrong turn trying to escape and ended up with the stargazers. When he realised that he hadn’t got out, he just sort of… collapsed.”

“And Jane and Darcy?”

It was Thor who answered the question. “Their voices bring him comfort in his hour of distress and I believe he allowed them closer as he could see they posed him no threat.”

That made sense.

Both women were fairly intuitive and would have known to approach Bucky with caution. That, combined with their small frames and obvious lack of weaponry, would have helped to reassure him that they meant no harm.

He seemed calmer in any case as Steve nodded at both Tony and Thor before slipping closer. As he did, he could finally make out the conversation. Jane appeared to be describing the different galaxies that scientists had discovered over the years while Darcy added small observations or clarifications of Jane’s words.

Bucky’s arm was slowing down it’s recalibrations, meaning that he was more relaxed.

Steve crouched down. “Hey Bucky.”

His partner blinked. “Steve?”

Bucky still seemed somewhat dazed so he opened his arms and the smaller man practically fell into them, both arms coming up to lock around Steve’s neck.

“Rough lab visit, huh?” Steve chose to ignore the way Bucky’s arms tightened, nearly cutting off his air supply. “Looks like you made some friends though. I leave you alone for ten minutes and you’ve already found some beautiful dames to chat up.”

Bucky let out a shaky laugh. “What can I say? They don’t get at me to pick my socks off the floor all the time.”

Steve drew back and gave him a disappointed look. “I do it for your own good.”

“Sure you do.” Steve was relieved to hear Bucky sound more like his normal self.

He clasped a reassuring hand around the back of Bucky’s neck, something that he knew soothed the other man. “Want to get out of here?”

Bucky nodded and pressed himself into Steve’s side when they stood up.

Jane and Darcy rose with them and Thor moved more fully into the lab to stand next to his girlfriend. Tony kept pottering around in the background, but shot small glances towards Bucky.

“Thank you,” Steve addressed all of them.

“Hey, no worries.” Darcy smiled brightly at him and Bucky. “We needed a break from work anyway. Well…” she pulled a face, “Jane needed a break.”

Jane scowled at her assistant, but then turned to smile gently at Bucky. “You should come by again if you’re ever down here, Bucky. You’re more than welcome whenever.”

“She just wants someone new to go on about the Rainbow Bridge to,” Darcy interjected.

Bucky looked confused, but nodded and offered the two women a half-smile. “I’d like that, thank you, Ma’am.”

With another quiet thank you to the others in the room, Steve steered Bucky away from the science division in the tower and back up to their apartment.

He collapsed on the sofa, dragging his lover down with him and hugged him tightly. In response Bucky snuffled closer to him, like a giant cat, sprawling so as much of him was touching Steve as possible. He liked to be close to Steve after lab visits or flashbacks. Steve thought it helped remind him that he wasn’t alone anymore.

He ran his fingers carefully through Bucky’s hair, massaging the tense muscles in his neck, enjoying the quiet peace between them.

“Steve,” Bucky interrupted the silence, “what’s a Rainbow Bridge?”

Steve laughed.


End file.
